Latest
Critics say Aussies can’t make cheap solar panels. This start-up says they’re wrong
The brains behind SunDrive say Australia has the material, the best resources, and even national security reasons, for keeping solar panel expertise here.
- 1 hr ago
- Ben Potter
Peter Dutton’s migration and housing changes explained
The opposition leader says his changes to permanent migration and housing laws will help Australians by “restoring the dream of homeownership”. Will the changes be effective?
- Michael Read
‘We don’t know the truth’, says senior CIA officer
Beth Sanner was Donald Trump’s daily intelligence briefer for two years. Few people know the boundaries between secrecy and democracy so well.
- Kevin Chinnery
- Exclusive
- Oil
Shell sues ATO over claim it was short-changed $99m in CGT bill
The ATO believes the company should have declared capital gains $330 million higher than first reported for its exit from the old Woodside Petroleum.
- Lucas Baird
Men paid $760 to lose weight in ‘Game of Stones’ health scheme
A trial of a dieting program in which participants potentially lose money has been so successful that it will be rolled out nationally.
- Laura Donnelly
How South Africa has changed 30 years after apartheid
The country, which goes to the polls on May 29, made widespread improvements in its first 15 years of majority rule. The past 15 have been another story.
- The Economist
Opinion & Analysis
Chalmers and Dutton put their economic credibility on the line
Chalmers has made a big, bold gamble on inflation which risks the living standards of millions, while Dutton’s rhetoric is bigger than the reality on immigration.
Economics editor
Solar panels debunking makes case for critical minerals leg-up
Even in a world of geopolitical and supply chain risk, the old economic orthodoxies of international specialisation and comparative advantage still apply.
Editorial
Australia’s new course is to be managed decline
The budget is our politics writ small: too lacking in confidence and optimism to seek out new growth.
Columnist
Budget is pure politics
Readers letters on Jim Chalmers’ federal budget; Scott Morrison’s meeting with Donald Trump; and Gina Rinehart’s push against her portrait in The National Gallery of Australia.
Contributor
More From Today
- Analysis
- Federal budget
Chalmers and Dutton put their economic credibility on the line
Chalmers has made a big, bold gamble on inflation which risks the living standards of millions, while Dutton’s rhetoric is bigger than the reality on immigration.
- 38 mins ago
- John Kehoe
Yesterday
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Solar panels debunking makes case for critical minerals leg-up
Even in a world of geopolitical and supply chain risk, the old economic orthodoxies of international specialisation and comparative advantage still apply.
- The AFR View
ScoMo brings Rudd closer to Trump
At Washington DC in front of Republican dignitaries, Scott Morrison finally spoke to a room familiar with his cadence.
- Updated
- Myriam Robin
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Australia’s new course is to be managed decline
The budget is our politics writ small: too lacking in confidence and optimism to seek out new growth.
- John Roskam
Budget is pure politics
Readers letters on Jim Chalmers’ federal budget; Scott Morrison’s meeting with Donald Trump; and Gina Rinehart’s push against her portrait in The National Gallery of Australia.
Jobless jump could unwind next month, economists say
Economists predict some of the lift in unemployment in April may unwind in May, amid broader signs the jobs market remains strong and is absorbing a surge in migrants.
- Updated
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Federal budget
It’s right for Australia to join the critical minerals subsidy rush
The scepticism about government interventions is understandable. But this time, they are creating new industries of immense value.
- Warren Pearce
RBA will ignore budget’s ‘miracle’ inflation forecast
Former Reserve Bank official Jonathan Kearns has cast doubt on whether the budget can produce a “magical” drop in inflation beyond the short term.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Mental disorders
The five types of stalker – a clinical psychologist explains
“Baby Reindeer” accurately portrays the relentless intrusion into another person’s life and the damage it causes to the victims and the people around them.
- Dr Alan Underwood
RBA says ‘no quick fix’ to house prices
RBA chief economist Sarah Hunter warns that undersupply of homes means house prices and rents will continue to rise as the market fails to keep pace with strong demand.
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Russia-Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin’s preparing for a long war
The Russian president’s idea of the motherland is much larger than the country’s globally recognised borders, an atavism that’s widely shared within his nation.
- Marc Champion
Hydrogen credit could blow its $6.7b budget
Sunshine Hydro chairman Michael Myer says international investment could mean the cost of the budget measure blows out, but is still worth the benefits.
- Ben Potter
What happens when Australia’s Boomers hand $5 trillion to their heirs
This week on The Fin podcast, Lucy Dean and Joanna Mather explain what’s happening in the great wealth transfer and how it will shape the economy, politics and intergenerational rivalry.
This Month
The game changer on battery-making is still to come
The founder of Australia’s only lithium-ion battery-maker says a $523 million budget boost will help underwrite a boom in critical minerals.
- Ben Potter
This could be the biggest local energy shake-up since the late ’70s
The budget leg-up for the ‘Future Made in Australia’ through green metals is ultimately about shoring up Labor’s electoral base.
- Andrew Clark
‘Dangerous’ to rely on key budget number given $80b spending splurge
More than $80 billion of under-the-radar spending on initiatives such as Snowy Hydro, NBN and clean energy undermines budget deficit forecasts, Saul Eslake says.
- John Kehoe
Investors welcome Chalmers’ new ‘front door’ service (with caveats)
Big investors want to be consulted as the proposal for an investment concierge moves from budget papers into reality.
- John Kehoe
Unions to ramp up pay claims despite inflation slowdown
Unions want to make up for “lost ground” after years of cost-of-living pressure, despite Treasury forecasts that inflation could fall beneath 3 per cent by Christmas.
- Updated
- Michael Read and David Marin-Guzman
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Chalmers is telling a big budget fib
Treasurer Jim Chalmers stood in front of 600 guests at his post-budget speech in Parliament House on Wednesday and repeated a misleading number about spending.
- John Kehoe
Projected cash deficits are inflationary, financially irresponsible
Readers’ letters on Labor’s budget; Sir Frank Lowy’s views on antisemitism; the flaw in the Tax Practitioners Board’s proposed breach reporting obligations; and Australia’s chance to be bold.
